SAFER WAYS

the healthiest ways to do household chores. this week: Don’t shake the duvet alone ‘DUVETS are quite heavy — shaking king one requires es a control over r your core [abdominal] muscles that most people don’t have,’ ’ explains Elaine Farquharson, a physiotherapist at BMI The Winterbourne Hospital in Dorchester.

‘You can slump forward and put excess pressure on the spinal discs. These can tear or their contents bulge out, irritating the nerves and, in time, causing numbness or loss of power in the limbs.’

Have someone hold the other side of the duvet, or widen your legs for a good base. ‘Tighten your tummy muscles and look ahead, not down,’ adds Elaine.